FEMA

had his work cut out for him Friday following and as he tours areas devastated by natural disasters. In the Los Angeles area, Meanwhile, damage in North Carolina has been estimated at is "totally entitled" to criticize FEMA, and even conceded he's delivered "accurate criticism" of FEMA. "But he's also said a lot of things about FEMA and the general federal response to Helene that are just wrong," said Dale. Dale took particular issue with Trump's claims that he said could "dissuade" Americans in need of federal disaster assistance from...

WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and Happy Friday, readers! As President Donald Trump left Washington, D.C., for his first presidential trip to North Carolina and California today, the nation’s capital gave a warm welcome to two giant pandas from China that made their debut at the Smithsonian National Zoo. It has been a busy few days for the energy industry, as the recent nuclear revival has made its way to Iowa’s Duane Arnold nuclear plant and Japan has expressed interest in buying more LNG from the United States. Today’s edition...

President Donald Trump on Friday floated the idea of overhauling or eliminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, while visiting North Carolina to view the aftermath of damage from last year's Hurricane Helene. “I’ll also be signing an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA, or maybe getting rid of FEMA. I think, frankly, FEMA is not good," Trump said at a hurricane recovery briefing in Fletcher, North Carolina. “FEMA has really let us down, let the country down. And I don’t know if...

ON THE ROAD AGAIN — Donald Trump is in North Carolina today surveying the damage wrought by last year’s Hurricane Helene. And he’s using the first trip of his second term to float a massive overhaul — or outright elimination — of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA. After landing in Asheville, Trump reiterated his frequent critique of the federal hurricane response: FEMA “has really let us down, let the country down,” he said, per NPR’s Asma Khalid and Deepa Shivaram. Trump indicated he’s examining “the whole concept” of...

‘I think, frankly, FEMA is not good,’ Trump said. ‘You want to use your state to fix [a disaster], and not waste time calling FEMA.’ President Donald Trump speaks while visiting a neighborhood affected by Hurricane Helene in Swannanoa, North Carolina, on January 24, 2025. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) President Donald Trump speaks while visiting a neighborhood affected by Hurricane Helene in Swannanoa, North Carolina, on January 24, 2025. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images President Donald Trump said he would...

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SWANNANOA, North Carolina - President Donald Trump said on Friday he would like to get rid of the main federal agency that responds to natural disasters during a visit to areas of North Carolina that were devastated by Hurricane Helene in September. Trump, on his first trip since reclaiming the presidency on Monday, accused FEMA of bungling emergency relief efforts in North Carolina. He vowed to sign an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally overhauling or eliminating the agency. "FEMA has turned out to be a disaster," he...

President Donald Trump trashed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after landing in North Carolina while vowing to “take over” Hurricane Helene recovery. Back in September, Hurricane Helene decimated western North Carolina resulting in 219 fatalities and nearly $80 billion in damages. As a candidate, Trump publicly criticized FEMA for not doing more to help victims of the storm in the region. On Friday morning, Trump departed the White House with First Lady Melania Trump to visit North Carolina to oversee Helene recovery and California amid the raging fires across...

President Donald Trump said that his administration is looking at "the whole concept of FEMA" during his visit to hurricane-slammed western North Carolina on Friday. "We're looking at the whole concept of FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). I like, frankly, the concept when North Carolina gets hit, the governor takes care of it. When Florida gets hit, the governor takes care of it. Meaning the state takes care of it ... I'd like to see the states take care of disasters," Trump told reporters in Asheville, one of the hardest-hit...

Political tensions and questions swirling around the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) promise to be a key test for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) as she takes over the department that houses the agency. Noem, President Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is on track for Senate confirmation after the chamber’s Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee advanced her nomination in a 13-2 vote Monday. While much of her immediate itinerary will likely focus on immigration, her confirmation process is also taking place amid...